Stats and the change in the game

[+drat19]

Folks:

Perhaps you've read some of my other posts on how a number of us in Mississippi miss the stats pages very much because we engaged in friendly competition over our state numbers. It wasn't about "cutting throats" or anything, it was just a friendly way for us to keep tabs on what other folks were up to on their caching, and another form of motivation. I posted the following note up on our Mississippi forum (msga.net) and thought I'd share it with everyone here, to see if anyone else had similar thoughts.

 

Folks, the horse is beaten already on stats vs. no-stats, who likes 'em and who doesn't, etc etc etc, so let's not turn this into that again, please. Just was wondering if anyone in other states was of similar mind, is all.

 

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Folks:

 

Today I took a Hattiesburg/Laurel caching trip (thanks for putting out the new caches, y'all!) and bagged 9 before I ran out of daylight. Used to be I would make sure I started early and bag at least 15 or 16 on a day like this. Today I started out later and took it a lot more leisurely than I used to.

 

There is no doubt that this is because I've lost a bit of my motivation due to the absence of the stats pages. I just don't feel the urgency to run up my numbers like I used to. Now, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. On the one hand, yeah, I'm not "pushing" as hard and that's cool, but on the other hand, that used to be part of the fun for me, too. Of course we were never "cutting anyone's throats" or anything like that over the stats, it was just the friendly competition, seeing what everyone else was up to, and needling people back and forth about it in good fun. I miss that.

 

Anyone else thinking right along with me like that lately?

 

-Dave R.

 

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[M15a4spr]

FWIW... I'd like stats.

[+Renegade Knight]

Nope.

 

500 is just around the corner on my first Utah raid. Then 600 and so on.

 

There will be another stats site someday.

[+KYtrex]

I, too, feel your pain. A little friendly competition does wonders to motivate a person. On the other hand, I'll probably start going for more remote and rewarding caches instead of lot's of them under a lightpost. But then again, probably not

 

KYtrex

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Do it today for tomorrow it may be illegal.

[CacheMonkeez]

I miss stats too...and it has slowed me down too.

[+Breaktrack]

Hey Dave,

 

I have to admit not having the stats page has not changed one thing I do with regard to Geocaching. I usually just looked at (and enjoyed) seeing how those cachers I knew from all over were doing (kept track of your progress that way after that first cache..lol). That was the fun of the stats for me. I never had plans to be the top cacher in Texas for instance.

 

With all that said, I truly do miss the stats page, just because it was fun to check them out.

 

"Trade up, trade even, or don't trade!!!" My philosophy of life.

[+drat19]

quote:

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Originally posted by Breaktrack:

... I usually just looked at (and enjoyed) seeing how those cachers I knew from all over were doing (kept track of your progress that way after that first cache..lol). ...

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Lurking readers, FYI...

History: Breaktrack happened to show up, a complete stranger to me at the time, while I was searching for my very first cache at the Biloxi Lighthouse over a year ago, and he showed me some of my early "ropes". He's sort of become my unofficial "mentor" since then, even though he's still a much more casual cacher while I've gone completely out of control since then!

 

-Dave R. in Biloxi

[Dinoprophet]

Your note questions whether going about it more leisurely is a good or bad thing. To me, it's a very good thing. I was never in a competition with anyone, but I was in a rush to get to 100 finds. I've slowed way down since then, and I've found the whole caching experience much more enjoyable. I actually take the time to enjoy the parks I never would have found if not for geocaching. I don't feel pressured to make sure I cache at least X times a week; I do it when I feel like doing it. I don't fret about when I'm going to get a chance to hit that cluster of caches that's 50 miles away; I'll do it when I do it, they'll still be there or they won't. I'm going slower, but I wouldn't say I have less motivation because I'm having more fun this way.

 

Well the mountain was so beautiful that this guy built a mall and a pizza shack

Yeah he built an ugly city because he wanted the mountain to love him back -- Dar Williams

[+southdeltan]

I never felt that I had to reach a quota with the ranking list. It's 60 miles to the nearest cache I haven't found and that's as the crow flies. That and other reasons made it unlikely I'd ever be tops - but I was aiming for the top 10 (there are probably less than 50 active cachers in our state).

 

The main way it has affected me (from a motivational standpoint) is this:

 

It's much more difficult to see that my friends and/or fellow cachers are out and caching. The knowledge that others were out there and active made me want to cache more - not so much 'X logged 23 finds, I must equal that' but 'X is caching, he's having fun and I'm not'.

 

It hasn't stopped me from geocaching, not nearly as much as my 'remote' location - but it was a real motivator.

 

I don't think that faster is necessarily bad, or slower is necessarily good. I do think that stopped is bad, heh.

 

southdeltan

 

"Man can counterfeit everything except silence". - William Faulkner

[+cachew nut]

I miss stats.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Since the stats page went down in August, I have only logged 2 finds. The 6 months previous, I logged at least 15 finds a month.

 

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

[+drat19]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dinoprophet:

Your note questions whether going about it more leisurely is a good or bad thing. To me, it's a very good thing. I was never in a competition with anyone, but I was in a rush to get to 100 finds. I've slowed way down since then, and I've found the whole caching experience much more enjoyable. I actually take the time to enjoy the parks I never would have found if not for geocaching. I don't feel pressured to make sure I cache at least X times a week; I do it when I feel like doing it. I don't fret about when I'm going to get a chance to hit that cluster of caches that's 50 miles away; I'll do it when I do it, they'll still be there or they won't. I'm going slower, but I wouldn't say I have less motivation because I'm having more fun this way.

 

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That's sort of how I felt yesterday during my leisurely caching expedition (i.e., that it seemed like a "good thing") but I had mixed emotions too, hence the post/thread. Thanks for eloquently stating your view on it.

 

-Dave R.

[+Zartimus]

I loved Dan's Page, and not so much for the stats. I used a little known link on there to see the geocaching 'activity' in my area. That was great. I could click on there and see that "Ahh, Binthair logged that one yesterday, hey Tripper did that one...' if they happened to not be on my watch list.

 

I have always been curious to see why the GC site did not have this info avaliable. The site is great, but it could also be FANTASTIC!

[+SEBN_XR]

We have a related stats page for montana and northern Idaho called Skydivers Geocaching Points System. it is a lot of fun because it rewards those who fine older/harder caches that dont get found as often. I found one at the top of a mountain because it was worth almost 150 points. it adds another dimension to the finding and hiding of caches because there is a different value than just the finding of the cache. And if there is nothing in the cache it is ok because there is still the thrill of the hunt and the points for the find. just my .02 but I think that stats are great.

[mckee]

Pulling a feature like this is a pretty lame thing to do to the folks that used the tool. Pity.

 

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You have the right to defend yourself, even when geocaching!

[+hooligan]

Dave,

 

It has slowed me down, I don't feel the push to get out and cache. So maybe I keep on looking, maybe not the 'fun" for me has waned with the loss of stats. I will keep on caching just not to as motivated as I once was.

 

In the past it was, oh no I am falling out of the top 20 I better hit the woods out of the way or not, now it is hey I need to go grab this one it is on the way to wherever I am going at the time, as long as it isn't out of the way...

 

But I am competitive and that is what drives me to do things... I know not everyone is like this but to me I think,what fun is it if I can’t “win”? winning for me was to be in the top 15 of MS cachers by the end of the year...